I'm Thirsty
by Elenhin
Summary: My experiment continues, telling the first few years of the Duke boy’s life together with one story from each year. This time Bo is getting thirsty.
1. Part One

Author's Note: This is Bo and Luke's life together, from the first year Bo was with them, until when Luke leaves for the Marines, and one year after he gets back. It is all different events, but they all begin with more or less the same phrase. I thought it might be fun to tell their lives together by something that keeps happening. This follows on the same line as 'It's Cold,' and some of the events are even similar with the ages.

Big thanks to Earendil Eldar for beta work.

**Warning**: _The warning is placed here for vinsmouse, who wanted a spew warning here, claiming it might be a bad idea to drink while reading the funnier parts. So please keep in mind that drinking any kind of beverage while reading this, might be hazzard'ous to the health of your screen. _

Disclaimer: The Duke Boys are not mine, I don't own the Duke boys, nor the General Lee. I promise that once I'm through with them, there will be nothing broken that a trip to Cooter's garage can't fix….

* * *

_**I'm Thirsty, Part One**_

"Aunt Martha, I'm thirsty." Luke went over to where his aunt stood in the kitchen. "Can I have something to drink please?"

"Of course you can Luke." Martha smiled at her oldest nephew. Luke stood there, and as hot as it was there was little wonder he was thirsty. "I think Bo will be wanting some nice cold water as well."

Luke looked over to the baby, just a little over a year old, it had been with them for a little more than six months now. It sat on the kitchen floor now, and whined. Martha had put a blanket on the floor for it to sit on, and he was waving his bear around while whining.

Martha handed Luke the water glass, and the bottle that would usually contain Bo's food, but now held water in it. "Can you let Bo drink some?" She asked.

Reluctantly Luke took the bottle as well as his glass over to the blanket where Bo was, he was still wearing what Martha said was a shirt, and what Luke thought looked like a dress. Especially since Bo had those soft wavy curls in his blond hair. There had been those who thought Bo was a girl, and if he was wearing a dress, they would never believe he was not.

He put the bottle down on the blanket as he drank of his water.

"Luke, you need to help him drink." Martha said softly.

Luke wrinkled his nose, he didn't want to help a drooling baby to drink. Then he sighed, he didn't really have a choice. He took the bottle tentavly and held it somewhere in front of Bo's face. Bo whined loudly and waved his arms around.

"Okay, okay." Luke sighed again, setting his glass down, he pulled Bo up in his lap. When the baby was leaning against him he held the bottle to his mouth like his aunt and uncle did.

Bo drank greedily, and tried to laugh at the same time. Water ran down his chin as well as bubbled out of his mouth when he laughed.

"Ew, Bo stop doing that?" Luke looked disgusted on the water, and worse, drool, on his hand. He wiped it off on Bo's shirt. "If ya want any more, ya can't do that. It's disgusting ya know."

Bo laughed again, and moved his hand to his mouth, and then he tried to touch Luke's face. Luke quickly shoved his hand away.

"Stop it Bo." He told him. "Aunt Martha, he's being disgusting and drooling everywhere."

Martha looked up and smiled at them. "Luke, he's a baby, ya did the same thing ya self when ya were a baby."

Luke looked at Bo who was slapping a wet hand against his own cheek, happily sucking on the bottle. "I never did do that." He objected.

"Yes you did Luke, as much as Bo there does. As much as all babies does."

"They are all that disgusting?" Luke asked baffled.

Martha laughed, Luke would change his mind about that when he got older.

* * *

"I'm thirsty." 

Luke could just barely make out what the two year old was saying, because Bo had two fingers in his mouth. Normal babies sucked their thumb, but not Bo, no he was sucking on the two middle fingers of his hand.

"Take ya hand out of ya mouth or I can't hear what ya say." He told him.

Bo took his fingers out of his mouth, "I'm thirsty." He said again, and his fingers went straight back into his mouth.

"Bo, take ya hand out of ya mouth." Luke told him trying to sound sternly.

Bo did as he was told. "Why? I said I was thirsty, and so why do I have to?" He asked, and then he put his fingers right back.

"Because that is disgusting." Luke told him.

Bo shook his head, his blond locks flying. "Is not." He mumbled around his hand.

"Well, if ya want me to get ya water, ya had better do what I tell ya." Luke stated.

Bo pouted, but he took his fingers out of his mouth. "Water now?" He asked.

Luke nodded. "Come on, we can get some in the kitchen." Bo trudged along after him. Luke was big, he could reach the water when he stood on a chair, something he himself couldn't do. It would be great to be as big as Luke, and not have to go and ask them every time he was thirsty.

When he grew up he wanted to be just like Luke he thought as he drank the water Luke gave him.

"Thank ya." Bo hugged him when he stood on the floor again, and pressed the side of his head against Luke as he squeezed as hard as he could.

* * *

"Luke, I'm thirsty." 

The three year old boy was panting heavily as he came over to his cousin. He was panting, and he was sweating, and Luke could tell he had been running.

"Well, I ain't gonna get ya anything to drink." He told him.

"Why's not?" Bo peered up at him with big eyes.

"Cause I ain't, that's why." Luke was not about to be swayed by big baby eyes. He didn't like it the way those eyes always got Bo cookies, so he was not about to fall for them.

"But I'm thirsty." Bo objected. "Please Luke."

"No." Luke shook his head.

"Why's not?" Bo pouted. "That's mean Luke, I can't reach on me own."

"An' I don't care. How many times must we tell ya not to chase the chickens, and if ya do, I ain't gonna feel sorry for ya being thirsty."

Bo frowned. "Can't I have just a little water?" He asked with a hopeful expression. "I only chased them a little, really little."

"Ya can't chase them a little, and I ain't getting ya any water." Luke told him.

"Not nice." Bo pouted as he walked away.

* * *

"Luke, I'm thirsty. Luke." Bo woke his cousin up by shaking his shoulder. 

"What do ya want Bo?" Luke asked the four year old boy who was sitting on his bed, he did not want to be woken up by a cousin right now, no matter what age. He rubbed at his eyes sleepily.

"I'm thirsty." Bo whined.

"Go and get some water then, ya can reach now, can't ya?" Luke tried to pull the cover up, but Bo was sitting on it.

"I can't go there." Bo shook his head.

"Why not." It was no use pulling at the cover.

"Cause of the monster." Bo said in a whiny voice. Ever since the clock had struck when he was passing it in the middle of the night, he refused to walk past it alone when it was dark.

"There ain't no monster." Luke told him with a tired sigh.

"Is to, but it don't bother ya none, cause it's a time monster, and it only wants a little time, so it only takes the littlest ones." Bo informed him.

Luke thought he made up the silliest things about that clock, but their uncle seemed to think it was cute. On the other hand, he didn't have to get Bo water in the middle of the night, because Bo wouldn't go to his room either.

"I don't wanna get up Bo, I wanna sleep." He groaned.

"But I'm thirsty." Bo tugged at his arm. "Please, Luke, please."

"Okay." Luke sighed, there would be no going to sleep again before he had gotten Bo the water anyway, but if he woke him up again later because he had had to much water, then he was in trouble.

TBC

Thank you all for reading, I'll do my very best to reply to all signed reviews, Elenhin


	2. Part Two

Author's Note: This is Bo and Luke's life together, from the first year Bo was with them, until when Luke leaves for the Marines, and one year after he gets back. It is all different events, but they all begin with more or less the same phrase. I thought it might be fun to tell their lives together by something that keeps happening. This follows on the same line as 'It's Cold,' and some of the events are even similar with the ages.

Big thanks to Earendil Eldar for beta work.

**Warning**: _The warning is placed here for vinsmouse, who wanted a spew warning here, claiming it might be a bad idea to drink while reading the funnier parts. So please keep in mind that drinking any kind of beverage while reading this, might be hazzard'ous to the health of your screen. _

Disclaimer: The Duke Boys are not mine, I don't own the Duke boys, nor the General Lee. I promise that once I'm through with them, there will be nothing broken that a trip to Cooter's garage can't fix….

* * *

_**I'm Thirsty, Part Two**_

"Luke, I'm thirsty." Bo called from his bed. "Luke."

"Be quiet Bo." Luke groaned. Whatever the five year old nuisance wanted it could wait.

"But I'm thirsty Luke." Bo insisted, and he could be really insistent when he wanted.

"Go to the kitchen then."

"I can't go past the clock and the monster."

"Ya too old to be scared of monsters." Luke told him.

"No I ain't cause it's there. An' I'm scared of it." Bo gave him a pleading look. "Please Luke."

"No."

"Please."

"No."

"Please Luke."

"No way Bo."

"Luke, please." Bo was starting to sound desperate.

Luke crawled out of his bed. "Ya have got to stop being scared of some monster ya imagined Bo, I ain't gonna do this ya whole life ya know."

"Don't have to, only till I'm so big the monster won't want me no more and moves away." Bo stated.

* * *

"I'm thirsty, Luke." Bo complained as they walked down the road.

Luke sighed as he looked at the six year old boy. "Bo, how do ya think I can get ya anything to drink out here."

"I don't know, can ya?" Bo turned to look at him with hopeful eyes.

"I don't think so."

"Oh." Bo sounded a little disappointed

Luke sighed. "Look Bo, ol' Parsons farm is up ahead, we can go there and ask if they can give us some water."

"Yeah." Bo shone up and hugged Luke. "I knew ya knew what to do Luke." He grinned.

"Uhu." Luke didn't want to admit it, but he was flattered by Bo's faith in him. He headed on down the road that would take them to their farm. They wouldn't mind if they came and asked for a drink of water for Bo, not at all.

* * *

"Luke, I'm thirsty." Seven year old Bo looked up at his cousin.

"Drink then." Luke told him.

"I don't have any water." Bo objected.

"I don't either." Luke looked at him.

"But I'm thirsty."

"There is a whole lake here."

"I can't drink that." Bo wrinkled his nose.

"Then stop complaining."

"But I'm thirsty Luke." Bo complained again.

"I don't really care."

"That ain't really nice, Luke."

"Ya complaining ain't nice either."

"But I'm thirsty."

"I know that, now stop complaining."

Bo was silent for a few moments, for as long as ten minutes.

"Luke." He then said softly.

"What?" Luke demanded.

"I'm still thirsty."

* * *

"Luke, I'm thirsty." Eight year old Bo said thoughtfully.

"I told ya to bring water." Luke pointed out. "I even filled ya canteen for ya, didn't ya bring it?"

"I brought it." Bo said defensively.

The two boys were out on an exploring tour, and they had planned to be gone for most of the day. They had brought water and some food along. Luke had thought how it would be very funny. He carried the bag with the food, it would be Bo's turn to carry it later in the day when it was just a little lighter.

He studied the path ahead, it was nothing to strenuous for the two of them. It would be fun. Since it was so hot he had however made Bo carry his own canteen with water, so he really didn't see why he was bugging him about being thirsty.

"Luke." Bo spoke up again. "I'm really thirsty."

Luke turned around annoyed. "Ya said ya had ya canteen, then why don't ya drink some."

"I can't." Bo looked up at him, and the look in his eyes was sheer misery.

"And why's that?" Luke demanded to know.

"It's empty." Bo pouted and shook the canteen that was hanging around his neck, there was no sloshing sound coming from it, that much was for sure.

"Bo, what where ya thinking." Luke flared up. "We gonna be away the whole day, and ya already have drunk all off ya water. Do you have any idea how stupid that is."

"I didn't drink it all." Bo objected. "Really I didn't Luke." His eyes were as big as any puppy and he looked really miserable.

"Then where did the water go?" Luke demanded angrily. "I filled it up for ya, I know it was full."

"But there's a hole in it." Bo whined, he looked almost afraid of Luke's anger. "Not my fault really."

"Let me see that." Luke snatched the canteen from him. There was a crack in the bottom, he hadn't seen that when he filled it. "Bo, why didn't ya tell me?" He demanded. It would have been leaking water ever since they left.

"I didn't notice before now." Bo defended himself. "Honest I didn't."

Luke sighed. "I believe ya Bo, we'll just have to make do on what I've got, okay."

Bo nodded, as long as Luke wasn't angry at him.

* * *

"I'm thirsty Luke, do ya have anything to drink?" Bo asked as he hoped up to sit on the hood of the car.

"No." Luke shook his head.

"Shame, I'm really thirsty." Bo shifted where he sat. "Imagine a cold milkshake now Luke, wouldn't that be something." He said thoughtfully. "Or a soda, or some cold lemonade, wouldn't that be something, huh Luke?"

Luke crawled out from beneath the car and glared angrily at the nine year old boy. "Bo, ya moron, now ya've done gone and made me thirsty."

"Well, I'm thirsty too." Bo objected.

"Yeah, but if ya hadn't gone done and talked like that, I wouldn't be." Luke glared at him.

Cooter looked up from a carburetor and laughed at them. "There ain't no need to fight like that." He laughed. "Why don't ya all just get something to drink."

"That was what I wanted to do." Bo jumped down from the hood and headed over to Cooter. "But he got angry at me."

"I heard it." Cooter put a hand to Bo's shoulder. "Listen Bo, there's a soda machine outside there, why don't ya go and get some soda for us." He handed the boy a few coins.

"Thanks Cooter." Bo shone up as he hurried outside to the soda machine and Cooter laughed.

TBC

Thank you all for reading, I'll do my very best to reply to all signed reviews, Elenhin


	3. Part Three

Author's Note: This is Bo and Luke's life together, from the first year Bo was with them, until when Luke leaves for the Marines, and one year after he gets back. It is all different events, but they all begin with more or less the same phrase. I thought it might be fun to tell their lives together by something that keeps happening. This follows on the same line as 'It's Cold,' and some of the events are even similar with the ages.

Big thanks to Earendil Eldar for beta work.

**Warning**: _The warning is placed here for vinsmouse, who wanted a spew warning here, claiming it might be a bad idea to drink while reading the funnier parts. So please keep in mind that drinking any kind of beverage while reading this, might be hazzard'ous to the health of your screen. _

Disclaimer: The Duke Boys are not mine, I don't own the Duke boys, nor the General Lee. I promise that once I'm through with them, there will be nothing broken that a trip to Cooter's garage can't fix….

* * *

_**I'm Thirsty, Part Three**_

"Luke, I'm thirsty." Ten year old Bo called from his bed. "Can ya get me some water, please Luke."

"I wanna sleep Bo," Luke groaned as he turned around in his bed.

"I know, but I'm really thirsty." Bo was sitting up now and looking at Luke.

"Aw Bo." Luke groaned, but he knew he would be getting up. Bo had twisted his ankle, not bad at all, just enough so it hurt when he walked, and Jesse had asked Luke to take care of him if he needed anything during the night. Saying that if he just kept off it during the night, he should be fine in the morning.

Luke could understand it, his cousin didn't need to stumble on anything on the way to the kitchen. So he got up and went to get the water for him. One thing was for sure, Bo was grateful when he came back with it, no one could say anything else.

Satisfied that Bo had gotten his water Luke went back to his own bed and fell asleep.

* * *

"Luke, I'm thirsty." Bo said from where he stood. His hands and arms were smeared with oil from having helped Luke and Cooter with the car. He also had a smear of grease on his cheek, where he had swatted at a very annoying fly. He guessed that the fly won, seeing as how it had gotten away, and even made him slap himself so hard it hurt.

They were out at the farm, Cooter having come out to them to give them a hand, and Bo thought it was loads of fun, Luke however wasn't in his best mode, and he had snapped at his eleven year old cousin a few times already.

Now he looked up and glared at Bo. "Dang it Bo, ya ain't done nothing but complain. What's the matter with ya?"

"I haven't been complaining." Bo objected defensively. He was getting tired of being yelled at.

"Ya have." Luke snapped. "An' I'm just about fed up with ya whining. What's the matter with ya anyways, can't even help out without complaining."

"I wasn't." Bo pleaded, he hated it when his cousin was angry at him. "Cooter, I wasn't, right?"

"I wouldn't say that ya was complaining bad enough for him to get that riled up." Cooter said thoughtfully with a sympathetic look at Bo, and a more annoyed one at Luke. "Kid ain't really been a bother, and anyways, he's just a kid. No reason to snap at him."

"I'm just tired of having him around whining all the time." Luke glared at Bo. "I told ya that I wouldn't have ya be a nuisance. So stop being one."

"But Luke," Bo started, he was cut off before he could say anything more though.

"Be quiet Bo, just be quiet if ya gonna stay here with us, got it?"

Bo nodded, pouting even though he tried not to. He knew that Luke tended to snap when he was annoyed, and it didn't mean that he himself had done anything wrong, but he still hated it when Luke shouted at him like that.

"Ya know he don't mean nothing with that, right kiddo." Cooter said softly as he draped an arm over Bo's shoulder.

Bo nodded and looked up at his friend. "I wasn't complaining, honest." He said quietly. "I was gonna say how I was thirsty, an' was gonna get me some lemonade, an' I just wanted to ask him if I was gonna get some for y'all as well. I thought it might make him stop snapping at me for everything I did."

"Uhu." Cooter grinned. "How about the two of us go an' get us some of that lemonade, an' leave ol' grumpy there to himself?"

Bo nodded, served Luke right for yelling at him when he was only trying to help.

* * *

"I'm thirsty Luke, can we have something to drink." Bo was seated on the hood of their uncle's old pick up truck, while Luke was leaning against it.

"Uncle Jesse told us to wait here." Luke told his twelve year old cousin patiently.

"I know that, but I'm really thirsty." Bo went on in a thoughtful voice. "If we were to go down the street just a little bit, we could get some soda."

"Waiting here means waiting here Bo, not over there."

"We don't have to wait there, we can just go there, and get a soda and then we can go right back here again." Bo said eagerly. "Please Luke."

"Or we could just wait here as we were asked to." Luke said with a soft sigh.

"Yeah, but wouldn't a soda be really great?" Bo asked hopefully.

"Ya ain't gonna give up are ya?" Luke asked tilting his head to the side as he regarded his cousin.

"No, I'm really thirsty, and really want a soda, so no." Bo grinned. "Does that mean we can go and get one?"

Luke sighed with a shrug, when you knew that you would lose no matter what you did, you might as well give up at once and save yourself the trouble of arguing. "Yes, Bo. We can go and get a soda."

"All right." Bo grinned as he jumped off the hood. "Come on then Luke." He hurried over to the shop.

* * *

"Luke, I'm thirsty." Bo knew he would be ignored even as he spoke. When he was with a girl, Luke never had any time or attention to spare his thirteen younger cousin. He sighed and kicked at a pebbled as he wondered what he should do.

While it wasn't fun being ignored, Luke would get really angry at him if he managed to get his attention. That wouldn't be very good either, then he would be thirsty, and in trouble at the same time.

One was bad enough, but both would be worse.

He moved away from the snuggling couple and decided that if Luke ignored him, he could go off on his own and find something to drink.

* * *

"Luke, I'm thirsty." Bo croaked in a hoarse voice, his throat was dry and hurt quite bad, and he wasn't able to speak up very loud. So he was almost afraid Luke wouldn't hear him.

He didn't have to worry though, Luke woke up faster than he ever had before. The years in the Marines had taught him to sleep very lightly, not to mention how he was very attentive towards his seventeen year old and, at the moment sick cousin. He was sitting up and swinging his legs down on the floor almost before Bo had finished talking.

"You okay Bo?" Luke asked as he moved over and sat down on the edge of Bo's bed.

"Thirsty." Bo whispered, hoping that whispering would hurt his throat less than talking did.

"Okay." Luke made to fill a glass with water for him from the pitcher they kept on the bedside table, but the pitcher was empty. He frowned, the last time he had given Bo some to drink, it had only been half empty.

"I'm sorry I had to wake ya." Bo whispered, actually, that hurt just as bad, but that didn't mean he had to stop hoping that whispering hurt less. "But last time I tried to get some I spilled most of it, and now there ain't none left."

Luke moved his hand over the mattress towards the pillow, and sure enough there was a damp spot there. The pillow was wet as well.

"Ya should've woken me up." Luke said softly as he took the pitcher.

"Didn't want to bother ya." It was no use, whispering or not, his throat hurt.

"It's not a bother Bo." Luke said with a smile. "And you ain't a bother either." He indulged himself into brushing Bo's hair away from his forehead. Not sure how much of a show of affection Bo was comfortable with, but having his hair in his eyes could not be any more comfortable. "I'll get some more water now, okay."

Bo nodded, that shouldn't hurt, but bobbing his head made his neck hurt, and that just wasn't fair. He wasn't speaking so it shouldn't hurt.

Luke came back with the water and helped him to drink, it soothed his throat a bit while it quenched his thirst a bit more.

"Thanks." He gave Luke a grateful smile as he lied back down again.

"Don't worry cousin." Luke put the now empty glass down on the bedside table. "And the next time, wake me up, okay?"

"Okay." Bo was starting to fall asleep again now that he wasn't thirsty anymore.

"Good night Bo." Luke said softly as he pulled the cover up to his shoulders. He waited until he could tell that Bo was asleep again before he went back to his own bed.

The End

TBC

Thank you all for reading, I'll do my very best to reply to all signed reviews, Elenhin


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